The pair had been sunbathing on rocks near the beach on Wednesday afternoon when a large wave swept them into the surf.

When Mr Shipton discovered them, they were three kilometres from shore and had been in the water for about 20 minutes. The younger woman refused to let go of her lifeless companion, so Shipton - who could not carry the two women on his craft - rushed back to shore to raise the alarm.

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On the way, he passed three 13-year-old nippers on paddle boards and sent them to help the women. ''Anyone who had anything that floated, I just wanted to get them there,'' he said.

The boys - Declan Tancred, Beau Jeffries and Will Hardy from the Avoca Beach Surf Life Saving Club - were training for their surf rescue certificate when they found themselves in the middle of a real rescue.

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By the time they paddled to the women, the 25-year-old was barely conscious and struggling to stay afloat. The nippers supported them until lifeguards arrived, and then rode back with them on jet skis to the beach.

One of the women, aged 27 from Bankstown, was unable to be revived, while the 25-year-old woman from Casula was taken to Gosford Hospital in a critical but stable condition.

Beau Jeffries said he and his companions had no idea how serious the situation was when Mr Shipton called for their assistance. ''We sprinted around the rocks as fast as we could because we knew there was something wrong,'' he said.

Inspector Nigel Webber, from Gosford Police, said the actions of the nippers - who later sat and passed their surf rescue exam - helped save one woman's life.

''Even though it's dreadful and unfortunate that one has passed away, the quick thinking of these young nippers has definitely assisted in saving one of the females,'' he said.

The Avoca Beach Surf Life Saving Club president, Garry Clarke, said the boys were ''absolutely trained'' to participate in rescue.

''It is a great effort from the young people, and from everyone involved,'' Mr Clarke said. ''From all reports it was a dramatic situation. Everyone involved played an important part in rescuing one of the people, and sadly one of them died.''

Mr Shipton said he just did what he had to do, but the real hero was the young woman who refused to leave her friend.

''The strength and courage that she showed was just incredible,'' he said. ''I just want to tell her how amazingly brave she was.''

His wife, Donna, said it was coincidence that the women were found so quickly, in such an isolated area. ''They would have been looking for bodies this morning,'' she said.

The drowning has prompted warnings for swimmers to be cautious around rocky coastal areas in the summer holidays.

A Surf Life Saving Australia report to be released on Friday shows NSW has the highest rate of coastal drownings in the country. Forty-seven people drowned off the coast of NSW in the 12 months to June 2012, up from an eight-year average of 37.